[b]First take the guns, then the country[/b]
[url]http://www.washtimes.com/commentary/20011130-31801551.htm[/url]
Anglophiles had best pop over to the Misty Isles for a last
experience of Britain before the country is re-
duced to an oppressed province of the European Union.
Napoleon could not conquer England, nor could Hitler, but
Socialist bureaucrats in Brussels have, with help from Tony
Blair's New Labor and British nonchalance. Britain is on its
way back to the reign of Charles I, with its secret courts and
imprisonment without trial or evidence.
Once-proud Brits are suffering the indignity of being
gradually brought under European law by ministerial edicts that
bypass Parliament. Recently, the British lost their ancient
system of weights and measures, and now they are on the
verge of losing their legal system, the development of which is,
essentially, the history of Britain.
Although willing to be bullied along the path to European
integration, the British steadfastly have held on to their justice
system. And for good reason.
Historically, English law has been a shield of the people,
standing in stark contrast to Europe's Napoleonic criminal law,
which does not safeguard law against its use by government as
a weapon.
English law does not permit police to arrest citizens without
evidence or to hold them more than 48 hours without
presenting charges in open court. [b]The European system
permits police to arrest citizens on suspicion and to detain them
indefinitely while preparing a case against them.
Moreover, the accused European has no right to see the
evidence against him, no right to a jury trial and no right to an
open court. His case is decided by a professional judge, whose
career and advancement is dependent on the state that brings
the case.
Under European law, there is no presumption of innocence
or protection against double jeopardy. The accused can be
subjected to repeated trials on the same charges until the state
wins a guilty verdict.[/b]

"We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared so we may always be free." Ronald Reagan 1984

The English fought a civil war to rid themselves of such an
oppressive "justice system," and now in a sweep of
anti-terrorism hysteria the Blair government is sponsoring a
"terrorism bill" that signs away the English birthright.
The Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Bill currently
moving through Parliament contains a provision that removes
Parliament from the decision to replace English law with
Europe's Corpus Juris. Unless Parliament rejects this provision,
the EU Council of Ministers in Brussels, with the concurrence
of the British Home Secretary, can vote away English legal
protections and replace Habeas Corpus with the Napoleonic
code.
The British also face the unpleasant prospect of being tried
by European prosecutors for offenses that are not crimes in
Britain. A few days ago, Law Lord Richard Scott asked the
government to give more careful thought to the European
arrest warrant. The warrant does not require evidence and
would permit British citizens to be extradited to Europe for
interrogation should they be suspected of crimes such as
racism and xenophobia (fear or hatred of foreigners). Surely
this spells the end of soccer.
Will this direct threat to British liberty cause the Brits to
confront honestly the loss of sovereignty required by European
integration? Lord Tebbit was succinct on Nov. 1 when he said
ratification of the Nice Treaty (European integration) "would
be both contrary to Magna Carta and a breach of the
Coronation Oath, which sprang from the settlement of 1688"
that established the accountability of law.
If the British decide to give up sovereignty, they might try
for better terms. Why not form a European Union on the basis
of English law? This would be a huge gain for all of Europe by
bringing English liberties at long last to the Continent. Are the
British people so smitten by Europe that they would give up
their historic achievements and replace "law as shield" with
"law as weapon"?
The Labor government has not been honest with the people
about the implications of European Union. Instead, Brits have
been led down the path with assurances that they can be both
British and European. Now that shopkeepers are being
arrested for selling by the pint and pound instead of by the liter
and kilo, the British might realize that Europe is a threat to their
national character and to their liberty.

"We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared so we may always be free." Ronald Reagan 1984